Enhancing user sleep cycle

ABSTRACT

Methods are disclosed for receiving and processing video content to aid in a user&#39;s rest cycles, such as sleep and wake cycles. Video content may be received and processed to determine information related to a plurality of pixels to be displayed on a screen. Each of the plurality of pixels may have a corresponding color value. A time of day when the video content is to be displayed is determined, and compared to a current time of day. Based on the comparison or other data, a color value of one or more of the pixels can be adjusted or changed.

BACKGROUND

Since the advent of computer screens and displays, viewers of videocontent on computer screens and displays have been adversely impacted,most notably by the viewers experiencing less restful sleep due toviewing video content after the viewer's normal sleep time. Mammals areconditioned to associate blue light with morning and red light withevening. As such, reducing blue spectrum output and introducing more redspectrum can aid in sleep and prevent some of the negative effects oftoo much blue light being provided to a viewer of video content.

By exposing a viewer of video content with blue spectrum late at night,this may lead to difficultly in going to sleep and may lead to restlesssleep by the viewer when the viewer eventually goes to sleep. Also,exposing the viewer with red spectrum when the user is awake during themiddle of the day, for example, may lead to a less productive (e.g.,drowsy) viewer wake state.

The disclosure described in detail below provides a solution to theproblem associated with the hindrance of a sleep state or a wake stateof a viewer of video content.

SUMMARY

This summary is not intended to identify critical or essential featuresof the disclosures herein, but instead merely summarizes certainfeatures and variations thereof. Other details and features will also bedescribed in the sections that follow.

Methods described herein may provide a viewer of video content withcontent comprising pixels that are color-shifted based on a time of daywhen the viewer is viewing the content. Studies have shown that the bluelight spectrum prevents the body from producing melatonin, whereby anincrease in melatonin is believed to trigger the circadian rhythms inthe human body and causes humans to feel tired at night. According tothe method described herein, when the time of day that the video contentis viewed is around the viewer's normal sleep time, pixels are colorshifted to increase a red color of the video content. When the time ofday that the video content is viewed is around the viewer's normal waketime, pixels are color shifted to increase a blue color of the videocontent.

A method described herein may comprise receiving video content fordisplay, determining a time of day the video content is to be displayedon a display screen, determining a time of day when a user viewing thevideo content is expected to go to sleep, and based on the time of daywhen the user is expected to go to sleep and based on a current time ofday when the video content is being displayed on the display screen,applying a color shift to at least one of red, green and blue (R, G, B)color values for (R,G,B) display screens, (R,G,B,Y) values for (R,G,B,Y)display screens, or (R,G,B,W) values for (R,G,B,W) display screens, ofeach pixel of the video content to be displayed on the display screen.

In some embodiments, the determining the time of day when the user isexpected to go to sleep is based on an alarm clock setting. In someembodiments, the predicting the time of day when the user goes to sleepis based on the time when sunset is to occur (e.g., three hours aftersunset). In some embodiments, the predicting the time of day when theuser goes to sleep is based on historical ON/OFF data of the displayscreen, which may include information as to the user's personal time. Insome embodiments, the predicting the time of day when the user goes tosleep is based on information obtained from the user's home securitysystem.

In some embodiments, the applying of a color shift may compriseincreasing a level of red color of each pixel of the video content to bedisplayed, and decreasing a level of blue color of each pixel of thevideo content to be displayed.

In some embodiments, the color shifting can be done gradually tominimize eye strain on the user. This gradual shifting can be done, forexample, by adjusting the color by some small amount every minute,starting 30 minutes before the user's expected sleep time.

In some embodiments, the applying of a color shift may comprisedetermining that the current time of day is within a predeterminedamount of time prior to when the user is expected to go to sleep,linearly increasing, within a period of time, a level of red color ofeach pixel of the video content to be displayed, and linearlydecreasing, within the period of time, a level of blue color of eachpixel of the video content to be displayed.

In some embodiments, the linear increasing of a level of red color isperformed at a rate of X pixel color amount per minute for each pixel ofthe video content to be displayed on a display screen. The lineardecreasing of a level of blue color is performed at a rate of Y pixelcolor amount per minute for one or more pixels of the video content tobe displayed on the display screen, where X and Y are positive integers.The display screen may comprise a television monitor or a computermonitor.

In some embodiments, the periods of time when the pixel color shiftingis performed is based on data obtained from a user's habits, such astypical times of day when the user wakes up and goes to sleep. Forexample, a user who works the night shift may have pixel color shiftingto hasten sleepiness when the user is watching television duringdaylight hours when the user typically sleeps.

A method to improve wake time of a user is similar to the discussionsabove for improving a sleep time of a user, but whereby for the waketime improvement, color shift of video content is provided to increase ablue color value of pixels making up the video content based on a user'swake time, so that when the user wakes up and watches video that slowlytransitions toward a more blue color, the user is provided with videocontent that enhances the user's wake state.

By way of example, in a 24-bit RBG pixel color scheme, a color of eachpixel element corresponding to a sub-pixel of that pixel element may berepresented by a corresponding red, green and blue (R,G,B) value of from0 to 255, in which a RGB for a pixel element is represented as one pointin a 256×256×256 three-dimensional cube, and in which any visible colormay be represented as a particular R,G,B value on the 256×256×256three-dimensional cube. Continuing with this example, the amount of red(R) in a pixel may be represented by an eight bit value such as 01001000(=72) or 0000001 (=1), the amount of green (G) in the pixel may berepresented by another eight bit value such as 00001101 (=13) or01000001 (=65), and the amount of blue (B) in the pixel may berepresented by another eight bit value such as 01001111 (=79) or11110000 (=240). When pixels are displayed on a display screen, eachpixel may be displayed with an associated RGB color based on the 0□255 Rvalue, 0□255 G value, and 0□255 B value assigned to that pixel. Forexample, a pixel having a RGB32 value of {0,0,255} corresponds to acompletely blue color pixel with no green or red color, whereas a pixelhaving a RGB32 value of {255,0,0} corresponds to a completely red colorpixel with no green or blue color. In application, each pixel to bedisplayed on a display screen may be built by driving three small andvery close but separated RGB light sources, with an intensity of R, Gand B based on the particular RGB32 value associated with that pixel.

The foregoing methods and other methods described herein may beperformed by a system, a computing device, a computer readable mediumstoring computer-executable instructions for performing the methods,and/or an apparatus having a processor and memory storingcomputer-executable instructions for performing the methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some features herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example information access and distributionnetwork.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example hardware and software platform on whichvarious elements described herein can be implemented.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example summary of a method of displaying videocontent according to one or more illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method in which color values associatedwith pixels of video content to be displayed on a display screen arecolor shifted, according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an example of how red and blue pixel values are colorshifted to act as a sleep aid, according to one or more illustrativeaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows another example of how red and blue pixel values are colorshifted to act as a sleep aid, according to one or more illustrativeaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram describing a pixel color shifting process,according to one or more illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows one possible implementation of a settings menu accessibleby a user's television remote control unit, according to one or moreillustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram describing how pixel color shifting may be usedto enhance wakefulness or sleepiness based on the time of day when auser is viewing content, according to one or more illustrative aspectsof the disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows display sections in which pixels within different portionsof a display are color-shifted over time to enhance wakefulness orsleepiness based on the time of day when a user is viewing content,according to one or more illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing the process for color-shiftingdifferent portions of a display over time to enhance wakefulness orsleepiness based on the time of day when a user is viewing content,according to one or more illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram in which advertisement content is notcolor-shifted while other portions of video content are color-shifted toenhance a user's wakefulness or sleepiness, according to one or moreillustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method of providing color-shifting ofvideo content to enhance a user's wakefulness or sleepiness, accordingto one or more illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing a sleep or wake calibration processperformed according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of the steps that may be performed to providefor color-shifted video content, according to one or more illustrativeaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram showing different types of pixel colorshifting that may be performed, according to one or more illustrativeaspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a table showing a first example in which red, green and bluecolor values of a pixel are color-shifted over time to enhancesleepiness, according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 18 is a plot of the red, green and blue color values of the pixelof the first example as shown in FIG. 17, showing how those valueschange linearly over time, according to one or more illustrative aspectsof the disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a table showing a second example in which red, green and bluecolor values of a pixel are color-shifted over time to enhancesleepiness, according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 20 is a plot of the red, green and blue color values of the pixelof the second example as shown in FIG. 19, showing how those valueschange linearly over time, according to one or more illustrative aspectsof the disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a table of an example in which pixel color-shifting sleeptime periods and the pixel color-shifting wake time periods are providedat different times within a 24 hour day, according to one or moreillustrative aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example information access and distributionnetwork 100 on which many of the various features described herein maybe implemented. The network 100 may be any type of informationdistribution network, such as satellite, telephone, cellular, wireless,etc. One example may be an optical fiber network, a coaxial cablenetwork or a hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) distribution network. Such networks100 use a series of interconnected communication links 101 (e.g.,coaxial cables, optical fibers, wireless connections, etc.) to connectmultiple premises, such as locations 102 (e.g., homes, businesses,institutions, etc.), to a local office 103 (e.g., a central office orheadend). The local office 103 may transmit downstream informationsignals onto the links 101, and each location 102 may have a receiverused to receive and process those signals.

There may be one link 101 originating from the local office 103, and itmay be split a number of times to distribute the signal to variouslocations 102 in the vicinity (which may be many miles) of the localoffice 103. Although the term home is used by way of example, locations102 may be any type of user premises, such as businesses, institutions,etc. The links 101 may include components not illustrated, such assplitters, filters, amplifiers, etc. to help convey the signal clearly.Portions of the links 101 may also be implemented with fiber-opticcable, while other portions may be implemented with coaxial cable, otherlinks, or wireless communication paths.

The local office 103 may include an interface 104, which may be atermination system (TS), such as a cable modem termination system(CMTS), which may be a computing device configured to managecommunications between devices on the network of links 101 and backenddevices such as servers 105-107 (to be discussed further below). Theinterface 104 may be as specified in a standard, such as, in an exampleof an HFC-type network, the Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecification (DOC SIS) standard, published by Cable TelevisionLaboratories, Inc. (a.k.a. CableLabs), or it may be a similar ormodified device instead. The interface 104 may be configured to placedata on one or more downstream channels or frequencies to be received bydevices, such as modems at the various locations 102, and to receiveupstream communications from those modems on one or more upstreamfrequencies. The local office 103 may also include one or more networkinterfaces 108, which can permit the local office 103 to communicatewith various other external networks 109. These networks 109 mayinclude, for example, networks of Internet devices, telephone networks,cellular telephone networks, fiber optic networks, local wirelessnetworks (e.g., WiMAX), satellite networks, and any other desirednetwork, and the network interface 108 may include the correspondingcircuitry needed to communicate on the network 109, and to other deviceson the network such as a cellular telephone network and itscorresponding cell phones (e.g., cell phone 117).

As noted above, the local office 103 may include a variety of servers105-107 that may be configured to perform various functions. Forexample, the local office 103 may include a push notification server105. The push notification server 105 may generate push notifications todeliver data and/or commands to the various locations 102 in the network(or more specifically, to the devices in the locations 102 that areconfigured to detect such notifications). The local office 103 may alsoinclude a data server 106. The data server 106 may be one or morecomputing devices that are configured to provide data to users in thehomes. This data may be, for example, video on demand movies, televisionprograms, songs, text listings, etc. The data server 106 may includesoftware to validate user identities and entitlements, locate andretrieve requested data, encrypt the data, and initiate delivery (e.g.,streaming) of the data to the requesting user and/or device.

The local office 103 may also include one or more application servers107. An application server 107 may be a computing device configured tooffer any desired service, and may run various languages and operatingsystems (e.g., servlets and JSP pages running on Tomcat/MySQL, OSX, BSD,Ubuntu, Redhat, HTML5, JavaScript, AJAX and COMET). For example, anapplication server may be responsible for collecting data such astelevision program listings information and generating a data downloadfor electronic program guide listings. Another application server may beresponsible for monitoring user viewing habits and collecting thatinformation for use in selecting advertisements. Another applicationserver may be responsible for formatting and inserting advertisements ina video stream being transmitted to the locations 102.

An example location 102 a may include an interface 120. The interfacemay comprise a device 110, such as a modem, which may includetransmitters and receivers used to communicate on the links 101 and withthe local office 103. The device 110 may be, for example, a coaxialcable modem (for coaxial cable links 101), a fiber interface node (forfiber optic links 101), or any other desired modem device. The device110 may be connected to, or be a part of, a gateway 111 (e.g., a gatewayinterface device). The gateway 111 may be a computing device thatcommunicates with the device 110 to allow one or more other devices inthe home to communicate with the local office 103 and other devicesbeyond the local office. The gateway 111 may be a set-top box (STB),digital video recorder (DVR), computer server, or any other desiredcomputing device. The gateway 111 may also include (not shown) localnetwork interfaces to provide communication signals to devices in thehome, such as televisions 112, additional STBs 113, personal computers114, laptop computers 115, wireless devices 116 (wireless laptops andnetbooks, mobile phones, mobile televisions, personal digital assistants(PDA), etc.), and any other desired devices. Examples of the localnetwork interfaces include Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA)interfaces, Ethernet interfaces, universal serial bus (USB) interfaces,wireless interfaces (e.g., IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth interfaces, andothers.

FIG. 2 illustrates general hardware and software elements that can beused to implement any of the various computing devices (e.g., terminaldevices, remote control devices, etc.) discussed herein. The computingdevice 200 may include one or more processors 201, which may executeinstructions of a computer program to perform any of the featuresdescribed herein. The instructions may be stored in any type ofcomputer-readable medium or memory, to configure the operation of theprocessor 201. For example, instructions may be stored in a read-onlymemory (ROM) 202, random access memory (RAM) 203, hard drive, removablemedia 204, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, compact disk (CD)or digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk drive, or any other desiredelectronic storage medium. Instructions may also be stored in anattached (or internal) hard drive 205. The computing device 200 mayinclude one or more output devices, such as a display 206 (or anexternal television), and may include one or more output devicecontrollers 207, such as a video processor. There may also be one ormore user input devices 208, such as a remote control, keyboard, mouse,touch screen, microphone, etc.

The computing device 200 may also include one or more network interfaces209, such as input/output circuits (such as a network card) tocommunicate with an external network 210. The interface 209 may be awired interface, wireless interface, or a combination of the two. Insome embodiments, the interface 209 may include a modem (e.g., a cablemodem), and the network 210 may include the communication links 101discussed above, the external network 109, an in-home network, aprovider's wireless, coaxial, fiber, or hybrid fiber/coaxialdistribution system (e.g., a DOCSIS network), or any other desirednetwork. The computing device 200 may communicate with the externalnetworks 210 or other devices using one or more communication protocols,such as wired communication protocols and wireless communicationprotocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave, etc.).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example summary of a method of displaying videocontent to a user according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure. The steps may be performed by one or more computing device(such as, with reference to FIG. 1, a component at the location 102 asuch as set-top-box (STB) 113, a component (e.g., a computer, or server)at the local office 103, and/or a remote device that can communicatewith the location 102 a or the local office 103).

In step 300, configuration parameters for sleep and/or wake assistanceto a user watching video content are established. This may be done, forexample, by obtaining historical data regarding normal sleep times for auser based on times when the user's television is turned ON and turnedOFF, and/or by obtaining sunrise and sunset times based on the day ofthe year and location of the user, and/or by obtaining home securitydata for a user's home to determine a time a user typically wakes up andtypically goes to sleep (to be explained in more detail below withrespect to one or more embodiments), and/or by receiving user inputregarding a user's typical wake time and sleep time.

In step 305, video content is received. The video content may bereceived, for example, for display on a display screen. By way ofexample, the display screen may correspond to a television display, apersonal computer display, a laptop computer display, a computer tabletdisplay, or a smart phone display. For example, the display screen maybe associated with computer 114 or 115 connected to STB 113, or thedisplay screen may be associated with television 112 connected to STB113. By way of example, video content may be received by STB 113 asshown in FIG. 1, as provided by data server 106. In some embodiments,the video content may be an on-demand video program, such as a movie, orplayback of content previously recorded on a digital video recorderassociated with the STB 113, or content currently being transmitted by acontent providing service such as HBO□ or ESPN□.

In step 310, a time of day at which the video content is to be displayedon the display screen is determined. By way of example, the time of daymay be determined by STB 113 based on reference to a clock associatedwith a computer associated with the STB 113, or by reference toinformation obtained from a network such as the Internet, a WAN or aLAN.

In step 315, a time of day when the user typically goes to sleep isdetermined. In some embodiments, this may be determined based onhistorical data regarding normal sleep times for a user based on timeswhen the user's television is turned ON and turned OFF. In someembodiments, the time of day when the user typically goes to sleep maybe determined based on the user's home security system which indicateswhen the user's home is placed in a high security mode signifying a timeof day when the user goes to sleep. In some embodiments, the time of daywhen the user typically goes to sleep may be determined based on whensunset is to occur on the day when the video content is to be displayedas a frame of data on the display screen is determined. By way ofexample, the time of day when sunset is to occur may be determined bySTB 113 based on reference to information obtained from a network suchas the Internet, which is accessible by a computer associated with theSTB 113, or based on information stored in a memory of the STB 113regarding sunset times associated with each day of the year. In step320, based on the time of day when the user typically goes to sleep anda current time of day when the video content is being displayed as aframe of data on the display screen, a color shift is applied to atleast one of red, green and blue (R, G, B) color values of at least onepixel of the video content to be displayed on the display screen. Thecolor shifting of a pixel may be considered to be a phase shift of thepixel's (R, G, B) color value, for example. By way of example, STB 113applies a color shift to at least one of red, green and blue (R, G, B)color values of each pixel of the video content to be displayed on thedisplay screen of television 112, based on a difference between the timeof day when sunset is to occur and the current time of day when thevideo content is being displayed as a frame of data on the displayscreen of the television 112. See, for example, the color shifting ofpixel 58 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, which increases the red colorcontent of that pixel slowly and that decreases the blue color contentof that pixel slowly over a period of time based on the user's predictedsleep time. In another example, STB 113 applies a color shift to atleast one of red, green and blue (R, G, B) color values of each pixel ofthe video content to be displayed on the display screen of television112, based on a difference between the current time of day and thepredicted sleep time of the user, in which the predicted sleep time ofthe user is obtained based on historical data regarding normal sleeptimes for a user based on times when the user's television is turned ONand turned OFF. In yet another example, STB 113 applies a color shift toat least one of red, green and blue (R, G, B) color values of each pixelof the video content to be displayed on the display screen of television112, based on a difference between the current time of day and thepredicted sleep time of the user, in which the predicted sleep time ofthe user is obtained based on data obtained from a user's home securitysystem that indicates when the user's home is placed in a high securitymode (e.g., a security mode that has an in-house motion detection deviceenabled) signifying a time when the user goes to sleep. Further detailsof the amount and the rate of color shifting that may be applied topixels to be displayed to a user are described below, such as withreference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 17-20.

In step 325, video content with color-shifted pixels as determined instep 320 is output to the display screen, for display to a user.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment in which color values associated withpixels of video content to be displayed on a display screen are colorshifted, with reference to a RGB32 pixel color scheme.

In a RGB32 pixel color scheme, a color of each pixel element may berepresented by a value of from 0 to 255, in which a RGB for a pixelelement is represented as one point in a 256×256×256 three-dimensionalcube. Continuing with this example, the amount of red (R) in a pixel maybe represented by an eight bit value such as 01001000 (=72) or 0000001(=1), the amount of green (G) in the pixel may be represented by anothereight bit value such as 00001101 (=13) or 01000001 (=65), and the amountof blue (B) in the pixel may be represented by another eight bit valuesuch as 01001111 (=79) or 11110000 (=240). When pixels are displayed ona display screen, each pixel is displayed with an associated RGB colorbased on the 0□255 R value, 0□255 G value, and 0□255 B value assigned tothat pixel. For example, a pixel having a RGB32 value of {0,0,255}corresponds to a completely blue color pixel with no green or red color,whereas a pixel having a RGB32 value of {255,0,0} corresponds to acompletely red color pixel with no green or blue color. In application,each pixel displayed on a display screen may be built by driving threesmall and very close but separated RGB light sources that provide an Rsub-pixel, G sub-pixel and B sub-pixel component of each pixel, with anintensity of R, G and B based on the particular RGB32 value associatedwith that pixel.

In step 405, video content is received. For example, the video contentmay be output from data server 106 to STB 113 as shown in FIG. 1, fordisplay on a display screen. Each pixel of the video content has anassociated RGB32 value, such as {13,165,210} for pixel #58 of a 1080pixel grid array to be displayed in each frame of video content to bedisplayed on a display of television 112.

In step 410, based on the time of day when the user typically goes tosleep and a current time of day when the video content is beingdisplayed on the display screen, a color shift is applied to at leastone of red, green and blue (R, G, B) color values of each pixel of thevideo content to be displayed on the display screen. By way of example,if the current time of day is 30 minutes before the user typically goesto sleep, then a color shift is applied to each pixel such that the Bcolor value of each pixel of the video content to be displayed within aframe of video on the display screen of the television 112 is lowered byone (1) for each minute after the □30 minutes before sleep□time theframe of video that includes those pixels is displayed. In the exampleprovided above with three small and very close but separated RGB lightsources providing the light components for pixels making up a frame ofvideo data to be displayed, the red color value for each pixel may beincreased by increasing a power output of the red (R) light source, andthe blue color value for each pixel may be decreased by decreasing apower output of the blue (B) light source. The pixel color shiftadjustment may be performed as long as the television is turned onduring a time period associated with a normal sleep time of the user.

In step 415, the video content is displayed with the color-shiftedpixels.

FIG. 5 shows an example of how pixel values may be color shifted,according to an embodiment that estimates the user's typical sleep timebased on the time of day when sunset is to occur. In this example, colorshifting of pixels is started at 30 minutes prior to sunset, andcontinued up to and after sunset. The color shifting is performed in anamount corresponding to 1 pixel color value per minute for every minuteafter 30 minutes prior to sunset in this example. Pixel #58 of a 1080pixel grid array has a RGB32 value of {13,165,210}, and is received fromdata server 106 at a time corresponding to 30 minutes before sunset.Since the time at which Pixel #58 is to be displayed (along with otherpixels) on a screen of television 112 is close to sunset, the RGB valuesof Pixel #58 are color shifted to {13+1=14, 165, 210−1=209}, anddisplayed with the other 1079 pixels of a frame of video on the screenof television 112.

At a time corresponding to 29 minutes before sunset, Pixel #5 isreceived from data server 106 with a RGB32 value of {13,165,210}, thesame as its value at the time corresponding to 30 minutes before sunset.Since the time at which Pixel #58 is to be displayed (along with otherpixels) on a screen of television 112 is now one minute closer tosunset, the RGB values of Pixel #58 are color shifted to {13+2=15, 165,210−2=208}, and displayed with the other 1079 pixels of a frame of videoon the screen of television 112.

In a similar manner, at a time corresponding to 15 minutes beforesunset, Pixel #58 is received from data server 106 with a RGB32 value of{13,165,210}, the same as its value at the time corresponding to 30minutes and 29 minutes before sunset. Since the time at which Pixel #58is to be displayed (along with other pixels) on a screen of television112 is now much closer to sunset, the RGB values of Pixel #58 are colorshifted to {13+15=28, 165, 210−15=195}, and displayed with the other1079 pixels of a frame of video on the screen of television 112.

In the example of FIG. 5, the color-shifting of pixels to be displayedis done in a linear manner, based on a time when the video content is tobe displayed on a display, as compared to a time when sunset occurs onthat day. In more detail, in the example of FIG. 5, the red pixel colorvalue is color-shifted from a value X to a value □X+(time differencebetween when pixel is to be displayed and 30 minutes prior to sunsettime), when the time when the pixel is to be displayed is after 30minutes prior to sunset time. If the time when the pixel is to bedisplayed is prior to 30 minutes prior to sunset time for that day, thenno color-shifting is performed on that pixel. Continuing with thisexample, if the sunset time is 5:16 p.m., and the time when pixel is tobe displayed on a display screen is 5:21 p.m., and the red pixel colorvalue X of Pixel #58 is equal to 78, then the red pixel color value X ofPixel #58 is color-shifted to 78+|(4:50 p.m.)□(5:21 p.m.)|=78+31=109. Ifthe color-shifting is computed such that the red pixel color value X isto be changed to a value above 255, then the color-shifting is made suchthat the red pixel color value X is maintained at 255 for that pixel.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example where the red pixel color value of Pixel58 is increased to the maximum value of 255 at 5 minutes prior to sunsetand maintained at that maximum red color value up until the televisionis turned OFF.

In a similar manner, referring again to FIG. 5, the blue pixel colorvalue is color-shifted from a value Y to a value □Y−(time differencebetween when pixel is to be displayed and 30 minutes prior to the user'spredicted sleep time)□, when the time when the pixel is to be displayedis after 30 minutes prior to the user's predicted sleep time. If thetime when the pixel is to be displayed is prior to 30 minutes prior tothe user's predicted sleep time, then no color-shifting is performed onthat pixel. Continuing with this example, if the sunset time is 5:16p.m., and the time when pixel is to be displayed on a display screen is5:27 p.m., and the blue pixel color value Y of Pixel #58 is 198, thenthe blue pixel color value Y of Pixel #58 is color-shifted to 198−|(4:50p.m.)□(5:27 p.m.)|=198−37=161. If the color-shifting is computed suchthat the blue pixel color value Y is to be changed to a value less thanzero (0), then the color-shifting is made such that the blue pixel colorvalue Y is maintained at zero (0) for that pixel. FIG. 6 shows a casewhere the blue pixel color value of Pixel #58 is decreased to theminimum value of 0 at 10 minutes prior to sunset and maintained at thatminimum blue color value up until the television is turned OFF.

In some embodiments, a sunset time may be used to predict the time forthat day when a user goes to sleep (e.g., the user's predicted sleeptime is determined to be 3 hours after the sunset time for that day). Inother embodiments, actual usage data may be obtained for a televisionwithin a home, and based on the actual usage data, predictions may bemade (such as by a controller housed within a STB) as to what time auser typically turns off the television in the evening, and that timemay be used to gradually shift the pixel colors. For example, if actualusage data for a television in a user's bedroom indicates that thetelevision set has been turned off at 9:30 p.m., 9:15 p.m., 10 p.m., and8:45 p.m. in the last four days, respectively, then an average of thosefour values can be computed, and used to predict a time when the userwill turn off the television on the current day. Based on the examplevalues provided above, the predicted time that a user will turn offhis/her television is computed to be (9.5+9.25+10+8.75)/4=9:22 p.m.Based on the predicted television OFF time of 9:22 p.m., then the pixelcolor values may be color shifted starting at 30 minutes before thepredicted television OFF time, which corresponds in this example to 8:52p.m. The color shifting may be performed linearly up to 9:22 p.m., atwhich time the television screen stays at a red-shifted pixel color foreach pixel to be displayed, until the television is actually turned OFFand the user goes to bed.

By way of example, the red value for each pixel in a frame of datadisplayed on the display screen may be color-shifted ‘upward’ by anamount equal to a value of 2 starting at 8:52 p.m., and increased by anamount equal to a value of 2 for each minute up to 9:22 p.m. (unless thepixel value of a pixel is at the value 255, whereby it is maintained atthat value until the television is turned OFF). At the same time, theblue value for each pixel in in a frame of data displayed on the displayscreen may be color-shifted ‘downward’ by an amount equal to a value of2 starting at 8:52 p.m., and decreased by amount equal to a value of 2for each minute up to 9:22 p.m. (unless the pixel value of a pixel is atthe value 0, whereby it is maintained at that value until the televisionis turned OFF)

In some embodiments, a prediction may be made (such as by a controllerhoused within a STB) as to what time a user typically turns off thetelevision on a particular day of the week during the evening of thatparticular day, and that time may be used to gradually shift the pixelcolors.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method of modifying video content based onrecent television usage, according to an embodiment, whereby FIG. 7differs from FIG. 3 in that recent usage of electronic devices (e.g.,usage of smart phone, tablet, PC, etc.) of a user are utilized todetermine a time of day when the user typically goes to sleep. In step705, video content is received. For example, the video content may bereceived for display on a computer display or television or smart phone.In step 710, a time of day when the received video content is to bedisplayed is determined. In step 715, a time of day when the userassociated with computer or television or smart phone typically goes tosleep is determined, based on recent usage of electronic devices by theuser (e.g., times when a computer, television, and/or smart phone isturned OFF from an ON state). In step 720, a color shift is applied topixels to be displayed in a frame of video content on the computerdisplay or television or smart phone based on the determined time of daywhen the video content is displayed, as compared to the time of day whenthe user associated with the computer or television or smart phonetypically goes to sleep. In step 725, the color-shifted video content isoutput for display by the computer or television or smart phone.

In some embodiments, a prediction may be made as to what time a userwill likely turn off the television based on home security data, such asa home security system that is programmed by the user. For example, ifthe user has programmed his/her home security system to go from a□normal□mode to a □high alert□mode that may be used when the user goesto bed, then the time when the home security system goes to the highalert mode may be used as predicted time when the television is turnedOFF. The normal mode may be a mode where only perimeter alarms, such asdoor and window alarms, are activated, and the □high alert□mode may be amode in which motion sensors within the user's home are also activated(since the user is likely in bed and thus any motion detected by themotion sensors is from an unauthorized person within the user's home).The use of home security data provides useful information regarding whena person in that home typically goes to bed to sleep and gets out of bedafter sleeping, to be used to customize a pixel color shifting wake timeperiod and a pixel color shifting sleep time period for persons livingin that home.

By way of example, if a user has programmed his/her home security systemto transition from a normal mode to a high alert mode at 11 p.m. on aparticular day, then the 11 p.m. time may be used as the predicted timewhen the user will be turning OFF his/her television on that day, andwhereby red and blue pixel values of pixels to be displayed within aframe of video by the television are color shifted in accordance withthe current time when the frame of video is displayed and the predictedtime when the television is to be turned OFF. In this embodiment, thepredicted time when the user will be turning OFF the television may beobtained from the home security system data, and may be used todetermine when to color shift pixels to be displayed by the televisionto increase the red level of pixels and decrease the blue level ofpixels to be displayed, and not based on the time when sunset is tooccur in a region where the user is located. For example, if the sunsettime for a particular day is 8:00 p.m., but the home security systemdata is such that the security mode is to transition from normal mode tohigh alert mode at 11 p.m., the 11 p.m. ‘home security data’ time andnot the 8:00 p.m. ‘sunset’ time may be used to set the time period forperforming color shifting of pixels to increase sleepiness of a userwatching video content.

Also, by way of example, if a user has programmed his/her home securitysystem to transition from a normal mode to a high alert mode at 7 a.m.on a particular day, then the 7 a.m. time may be used as the predictedtime when the user will be turning OFF his/her television in the morningand leave the home to go to work (since any movement in the home whenthe user has left for work detected to a motion sensor activated whenthe security system is in the high alert mode is likely due to anintruder), and whereby red and blue pixel values of pixels to bedisplayed within a frame of video by the television are color shifted inaccordance with the current time when the frame of video is displayedand the predicted time when the television is to be turned OFF. In thisembodiment, the predicted time when the user will be turning OFF thetelevision in the morning may be used to determine when to color shiftpixels to be displayed by the television to increase the blue level ofpixels and decrease the red level of pixels to be displayed, and not thetime when sunrise is to occur in a region where the user is located.

In some embodiments, the device lights of the STB 113 co-located withthe television 112 may also color shifted in the same manner as thepixels comprising the video content to be displayed by the television112, to provide an even more light-friendly environment to enable a userto be more inclined to go to sleep soon after the user turns off thetelevision 112. Those device lights of the STB 113 may include a POWERON light, lights showing the current television channel being viewed bythe user (e.g., □355□, and lights indicating the current time of day(e.g., 10:57 p.m.).

In some embodiments, the color shifting of pixels on a television may beused as a form of parental control of television use, whereby the videocontent displayed on the television screen may be modified so as to makea minor child watching television during the evening more likely tobecome sleepy and want to go to bed, as opposed to staying up late andbeing too tired the next morning to function well at school. In otherembodiments, while a minor child is watching television in the morning,such as while eating his/her breakfast, color shifting of pixelsdisplayed on a television screen may be performed so as to increase theblue color of pixels and decrease the red color of pixels, to therebyassist the minor child to be in an awake state prior to leaving the hometo go to school. The determination of which television set in a home isassociated with a child may be based on the room within the home thatthe television set is located (e.g., within the child's room), or may bebased on settings created based on a user profile (e.g., television #1associated with a teenage child, television 2 associated with apre-school child, etc.).

In some embodiments, the color shifting of pixels provided within aframe of video content displayed on a television or computer display maybe controlled by a STB that controls a television and that utilizes HDMI(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) protocols and HDMI signaling toeffect such color shifting of pixels. HDMI is a well known audio/videointerface for transferring uncompressed video data and compressed oruncompressed digital audio data from an HDMI-compliant source device,such as a display controller, to a compatible computer monitor, videoprojector, digital television, or digital audio device. In otherembodiments, the ability to disable the color shifting of pixels may bevia a user selection on a remote control device, whereby a user maychoose to watch television without any modification of the pixelsdisplayed by the television in the manner as described hereinabove withrespect to different embodiments.

In some embodiments, the user may have an option to either allow thecolor shifting of pixels to occur automatically whenever the televisionor computer display is turned on, or to instead make an affirmativeselection to turn on the color shifting of pixels feature each time thetelevision or computer display is turned on. By way of example, in thelatter case, the user may go into the □Settings□menu of a televisionprogramming device (e.g., STB), and select □Turn Pixel Color ShiftingFeature ON□via a remote control device, in order to adjust the pixelcolors in the manner as described above. Alternatively, with the colorshifting feature previously turned ON, the use may go into the□Settings□menu and select □Turn Pixel Color Shifting Feature OFF□via theremote control device.

FIG. 8 shows one possible implementation of a settings menu 800accessible by a user's television remote control unit or via buttons onthe user's television set. When the user enters the settings menu 800,the user is provided with an option to either turn ON video contentsleep/wake assistance, or turn OFF video content sleep/wake assistance.Additionally, the user may provide information on the settings menu 800regarding the user's normal sleep time and the user's normal wake time,to be used to determine when to start and when to stop the sleep andwake processes for color shifting of pixels on the user's televisionscreen.

In some embodiments, the video content to be modified by color shiftingred and blue color values of the video content may be done at thecentral office (e.g., head end), whereby, based on the time of day whenthe video content is to be displayed, a manifest is obtained by adownload server for a plurality of fragments containing video contenttailored for the particular time of day when the video content is to bedisplayed. For example, if a movie is to be shown at noon, then a firstmanifest is obtained by the download server that includes a list offragments to be obtained from a content server. Each fragment comprisesa file containing video and/or audio of a small portion (e.g., twoseconds) of a video program, whereby the fragments are played in aconsecutive manner to display an entire program (e.g., a two hour moviecomprising 3600 fragments). The fragments may be sent by the downloadserver to a user's television for display, in which video content inthose fragments are not color shifted. If the same movie is to be shownat 11:00 p.m., which is past the user's typical bed time, then a secondmanifest is obtained by the download server, whereby the second manifestincludes a different list of fragments to be obtained from the contentserver. The video content of the fragments in the second manifest aresuch that the red color amount of pixels comprising the video content isincreased and the blue color amount of pixels comprising the videocontent is decreased as compared to corresponding pixels comprising thevideo content of the fragments in the first manifest for the movie shownat noon. If the same movie is to be shown at 7 a.m., which is around theuser's typical wake time, then a third manifest is obtained by thedownload server that includes a third list of fragments to be obtainedfrom the content server, in which video content of the fragments in thethird manifest are such that the red color amount of pixels comprisingthe video content is decreased and the blue color amount of pixelscomprising the video content is increased as compared to correspondingpixels comprising the video content of the fragments in the firstmanifest for the movie shown at noon. In these embodiments, the colorshifting of pixels is performed at the source (e.g., app server 107 ordata server 106 as shown in FIG. 1), and not at the premises of the userwatching the video content. This provides for less complexity at theuser's set top box, and also may be useful for providing the samecolor-shifted video content for a particular geographical region thatexperiences the same sunset time and the same sunrise time.

In some embodiments, the video content to be modified by color shiftingred and blue colors may be done at the set top box (STB), by applying aparticular filter to the video content received from the head end (e.g.,video content received from the download server) to color shift pixelsto be output by the television based on the time of day when the videocontent is to be displayed.

In some embodiments, the video content to be modified based on the timeof day when the video content is to displayed may be done at thetelevision itself, such as by applying a user setting that adjusts thered and blue color content of the television display. This may be doneby way of a ‘ color settings’ user input via the user's remote controldevice that is received by HDMI Cable Pin 13, which corresponds to aConsumer Electronics Control Channel that may be used by the user toadjust the color of video content to be displayed by the television.

In some embodiments, the light intensity and/or the brightness of thevideo content to be displayed on the user's television or computerdisplay may be shifted based on when the video content is displayed ascompared to when the user is predicted to go to sleep. For example, thelight intensity of the video content may be linearly decreased by 1% perminute starting 30 minutes prior to sunset, whereby the light intensityof the video content may be decreased to a particular amount, such as50% below the unadjusted light intensity at 31 minutes prior to sunset,and remains at that level until the user turns off the television andgoes to bed. This may be performed together with the red and blueshifting of pixels colors, to increase the likelihood that the user willbecome sleepy and go to bed.

In a similar manner, the sound level of the television or computer maybe decreased starting at a particular time prior to when the user ispredicted to go to sleep, to encourage the user to go to bed. Forexample, the sound level of the television may be linearly decreased by1% per minute starting 30 minutes prior to when the user is predicted togo to sleep, whereby the sound level may be decreased to a particularamount, such as 50% below the unadjusted sound level at 31 minutes priorto when the user is predicted to go to sleep (the predicted sleep time),and remains at that level until the user turns off the television andgoes to bed. This may be performed together with the red and blue colorshifting of pixels and/or the light intensity modification of the videocontent, to further increase the likelihood that the user will becomesleepy and go to bed.

In some embodiments, based on the location the television in a user'shouse and information as to who occupies a room in which the televisionis located, such as the room for a 12 year old child, the video contentmay be color shifted based on typical sleep times for a 12 year oldchild, or based on another user, such as a parent, providing parentalcontrol information that may be used to modify the video content. Forexample, in a first room occupied by a 12 year old child, the videocontent may be color shifted to increase the red content of pixels anddecrease the blue content of pixels starting at 8 p.m., whereas in asecond room occupied by a 16 year old child, the video content may becolor shifted to increase the red content of pixels and decrease theblue content of pixels starting at 9 p.m. This bed time information maybe provided by a parent to a home security system or other smart homesystem, using a particular code known only to the parent for inputtingsuch information. In a similar manner, wake time information may beinput by the parent for each child so as to increase the blue content ofpixels and decrease the red content of pixels starting at a particulartime in the morning, to make the child more awake prior to leaving thehouse to go to school.

In some embodiments, the lighting in the room where the user is watchingtelevision may also be modified such that the red and blue spectrums ofthe light may be color-shifted in the same manner as the video contentprovided to the television of the user, to enhance the ‘ sleep aid’features when the user is watching television with color-shifted videocontent just prior to or after the time when the user is predicted to goto sleep, or to enhance ‘wake aid’ features when the user is watchingtelevision with color-shifted video content during daylight hours.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method of modifying video content based oncloseness in time of day to a user's predicted sleep time, according toan embodiment. In step 905, pixel data corresponding to one frame ofvideo content is received. For example, the one frame of video contentmay be received for display on a computer display or television. In step910, the current time of day is determined. In step 915, a determinationis made as to whether the current time of day is within a predeterminedtime amount prior to the user's predicted sleep time (e.g., 30 minutesprior to sunset, or 30 minutes prior to a time when the user's homesecurity system transitions to a high alert state from a normal alertstate). If the determination in step 915 is Yes, then in step 920 acolor shift is applied to pixels to be displayed in a frame of videocontent on the computer display or television by adjusting R and Bvalues of pixels to be displayed by increased the R value and decreasingthe B value, and the process returns to step 905 to await receipt of thenext frame of video content. If the determination in step 915 is No,then the process proceeds to step 925. In step 925, a determination ismade as to whether the current time of day is within a predeterminedtime amount after the user's predicted sleep time (e.g., 30 minutesafter sunrise, or 30 minutes after when the user's home security systemtransitions to a high alert state from a normal alert state). If thedetermination in step 925 is Yes, then in step 930 a color shift isapplied to pixels to be displayed in a frame of video content on thecomputer display or television by adjusting R and B values of pixels tobe displayed by decreasing the R value and increasing the B value, andthe process returns to step 905 to await receipt of the next frame ofvideo content. If the determination in step 925 is No, then the processreturns to step 905 to await receipt of the next frame of video content.

In some embodiments, only a portion of the video content may be colorshifted, so as to provide video that includes color shifted pixels thatenhance the sleep aid aspects while watching video content during nighthours or that enhance wake aid aspects while watching video content inthe morning or during daylight hours, but which also provide for aportion of the video content that is unmodified and thus easy on theuser's eyes. In some embodiments, the color shifting of pixels may begradually done for different parts of the screen. For example, the colorshifting of pixels may be applied to just a small part in the middle ofthe screen, and then gradually the color shifting of pixels may expandoutwardly on the screen so that eventually the pixels comprising theentire screen are color shifted. Alternatively, the color shifting ofpixels may be applied to just a small peripheral portion on the outeredges of the screen, and then gradually the color shifting of pixels mayexpand inwardly on the screen so that eventually the pixels comprisingthe entire screen are color shifted.

The example above shifted color values of a screen based on time. Insome examples, the color shifting can also occur gradually at differentparts of the screen. For example, as sleep time approaches, the pixelsat the periphery of a screen may shift before the pixels at the centerof the screen. This gradual easing may also help adjust the user forsleep. Referring now to FIG. 10, at a predetermined time prior to thetime when the user is predicted to go to sleep, such as 30 minutes priorto the time when the user is predicted to go to sleep, the pixels withina portion of the video content to be displayed as a frame of video onthe user's television are color shifted. That color shifted portion maycomprise pixels located at an outer peripheral portion 1010 of a frame1000 of video content for display on the user's television set, such asan outer 10% rectangular region of the frame of video. The outerperipheral portion 1010 of the frame 1000 of video content is adjacentto an outer edge 1005 of the frame 1000 of video content.

As the time of day approaches the time when the user is predicted to goto sleep, the portion of the video content to be color shifted may beincreased. The increase in the portion of the video content to be colorshifted may be accomplished, for example, by increasing the outerrectangular region by 1% for each minute after the predetermined timeprior to the predicted sleep time. Thus, for example, at 15 minutesprior to the time when the user is predicted to go to sleep, the outerportion of the frame of video content having pixels to be color shiftedis of a size equal to 10%+(15*1)%=25%, and thus pixels within an outer25% rectangular region of the frame of video are color shifted at 15minutes prior to the time when the user is predicted to go to sleep. Theregion in which pixels are color shifted may correspond to thecombination of outer rectangular regions 1010 and 1020 in FIG. 10.

The portion of the video content to be color shifted may be increased bystarting with an outer, peripheral portion of the video content, andthen moving inward to thereby increase a size of the color-shifted videocontent as time progresses. For example, at the time when the user ispredicted to go to sleep, the outer portion of the frame 1000 of videocontent having pixels to be color shifted is of a size equal to10%+(30*1)%=40%, and thus pixels within an outer 40% rectangular regionof the frame of video are color shifted at 15 minutes prior to the timewhen the user is predicted to go to sleep. The region in which pixelsare color shifted may correspond to the combination of outer rectangularregions 1010, 1020 and 1030 in FIG. 10, whereby the rectangular region1040 in the center of the frame 1000 of video would be the only regionof the frame 1000 that contains pixels that are not color shifted.

After the time when the user is predicted to go to sleep, the frame ofvideo content to be displayed may be increased at the same rate as doneprior to the time when the user is predicted to go to sleep, until theentire frame of video content is color shifted. In some embodiments, thecolor shifting of pixels may be performed at the same rate as describedwith respect to other embodiments, whereby the number of pixels to becolor shifted is increased to cover a greater amount of the frame ofvideo content displayed. In other embodiments, the color shifting ofpixels may be maintained at the same amount starting at thepredetermined time prior to the time when the user is predicted to go tosleep, whereby the only change in how the video content is to bedisplayed is the amount of the frame of video content that is to bedisplayed with the color shifted pixels based on the time when the frameof video content is to be displayed as compared to the time when theuser is predicted to go to sleep.

In some example, a portion of a frame of video content to be colorshifted is determined based on the time when the video content is to bedisplayed, in which the both the amount of the video content and thepixels making up the video content to be color shifted are graduallychanged to make the viewing of the color-adjusted video contentreasonably acceptable to the viewer. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of amethod of modifying a portion of a frame of video content based oncloseness in time of day to the user is predicted to go to sleep or toawake from sleep, according to an embodiment. In step 1105, pixel datacorresponding to one frame of video content is received. For example,the pixel data may be received for display on a computer display ortelevision. In step 1110, the current time of day is determined. In step1115, a determination is made as to whether the current time of day iswithin a predetermined time amount prior to the time when the user ispredicted to go to sleep (e.g., 30 minutes prior to the time when theuser is predicted to go to sleep). If the determination in step 1115 isYes, then in step 1120 a portion of the frame of video content to becolor shifted is determined, and in step 1125 a color shift is appliedto pixels to be displayed in the portion of the frame of video contenton the computer display or television by adjusting R and B values ofpixels to be displayed in that portion by increased the R value anddecreasing the B value. After step 1125 is completed, the processreturns to step 1105 to await receipt of the next frame of videocontent. If the determination in step 1115 is No, then the processproceeds to step 1130. In step 1130, a determination is made as towhether the current time of day is within a predetermined time amountafter the time when the user is predicted to go to awake from sleep(e.g., 30 minutes after the time when the user is predicted to go toawake from sleep). If the determination in step 1130 is Yes, then instep 1135 a portion of the frame of video content to be color shifted isdetermined, and in step 1140 a color shift is applied to pixels to bedisplayed in the portion of the frame of video content on the computerdisplay or television by adjusting R and B values of pixels be displayedin that portion by decreasing the R value and increasing the B value.After step 1140 is completed, the process returns to step 1105 to awaitreceipt of the next frame of video content. If the determination in step1130 is No, then no color shifting of received frame of video content isperformed, and the process returns to step 1105 to await receipt of thenext frame of video content.

In some embodiments, the modification of advertisement video and/oraudio may be performed in a different manner than non-advertisementvideo and/or audio displayed just prior to and just after theadvertisement is displayed. For example, if the video content ismodified such that pixels are color shifted to increase the red colorcontent due to the video content being displayed at or after the user'stypical bed time, the advertisement portions of the video content maynot be adjusted, or may be color-shifted to increase the blue colorcontent such that the user is made more awake when watching theadvertisement portions as compared to watching other non-advertisementportions of the video content on the user's television. The level ofblue-shifting may be provided in a manner such that the more theadvertiser pays a content provider for a particular advertisement to bedisplayed, the stronger the increase of the blue color-shifting that ismade for the advertisement portions of the video content. This mayresult in more revenue being provided for the content provider, based onadvertisers paying more for their advertisements that are color shiftedto make those advertisements stand out more as compared to thenon-advertisement portions of the video content provided prior to andafter the advertisement portions of the video content. In someembodiments, the advertiser may pay the content provider a fee to notmodify their advertisement at all, whereas the non-advertisement contentprovided to the user before and after the advertisement may be colorshifted in a manner as described with respect to one or more embodimentsdescribed in this application.

In some embodiments, based on the genre of the video content, such aswhether the video content corresponds to an action movie or whether thevideo content corresponds to a romantic movie, color shifting of pixelscomprising the video content may or may not be performed. The genre ofthe video content may be obtained from □guide□information associatedwith the video content, which may include information as to whether thevideo content includes violence, mature subject matter, nudity, etc. Forexample, if a user is watching an action movie past his or her normalbedtime, the user probably does not want to be sleepy while he/she iswatching the action movie, and thus color shifting of pixels may not beperformed for □action movie□genres. On the contrary, if the user iswatching a romantic movie well past his or her normal bedtime, the userprobably does not mind to become sleepy while he/she is watching theromantic movie, and thus color shifting of pixels may be performed inthis instance in a manner as described above with respect to differentembodiments. Further, if the user is watching a sports program, then theamount of color shifting to be made on the video content provided to theuser may be in a lesser or a greater amount as compared to differenttype of genre such as a comedy program that the user may watch at thesame point in time during the day.

In some embodiments, each user device accessing a gateway that providesvideo content via a network (e.g., a WAN or LAN) may have their ownsleep cycle settings, in which the gateway determines which device ordevices the video content is intended for. Based on the sleep cyclesettings for the device(s) to receive the video content, a gateway, suchas gateway 111 in FIG. 1, may adjust the color content of pixels makingup the video content in accordance with a user's sleep cycle settingsassociated with each device that receives the video content. In someembodiments, the gateway may output the same video content (e.g., aparticular pay-per-view movie) to different users, in which each userreceives color-shifted video content specifically tailored the sleepcycle settings of that user. Accordingly, a first user that receivesvideo content output by the gateway for display by the first user'stelevision, for the same pay-per-view movie at the same time of day as asecond user that receives video content output by the gateway fordisplay by the second user's television, may receive differentcolor-shifted pixels for one or more frames of the video content. Thisdifference is due to differences in sleep times (and thus the amount, ifany, of pixel color shifting to be applied by the gateway) of the firstand second users, with such user sleep time information being accessibleby the gateway. By way of example, the gateway may determine whichdevice IDs are to receive specific video content, such as a pay-per-viewmovie at a particular day and time-of-day, and, based on thecharacteristics of each the device associated with each device ID (e.g.,an R,G,B display for Device ID #1, an R,G,B,Y display for Device ID #2),and based on a user

sleep and wake cycle information associated with each device ID, thegateway outputs video content to each device that is tailored to thespecific device and to a user's sleep and/or wake cycle information thatis associated with each specific device. FIG. 16 shows an embodiment inwhich a device ID may be used (see step 1610) to associate video contentto be displayed by multiple devices associated with multiple users, inwhich each user has a sleep process or wake process created based onpredicted sleep time or predicted wake time for that user.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a method of modifying video content basedon closeness in time to a user's predicted wake time and the user'spredicted sleep time, and based on the type of video content to bedisplayed, according to an embodiment. In step 1205, pixel datacorresponding to one frame of video content is received. For example,the pixel data may be received for display on a computer display ortelevision. In step 1210, a determination is made as to whether theframe of video content received corresponds to an advertisement. Thedetermination of which frames of video content comprise an advertisementand which frames of video content do not comprise an advertisement maybe accomplished by any of a variety of methods for distinguishing onetype of video content over another type of video content received by aSTB or a television or computer, such as by information in a particulardata field of a frame of the video content signifying whether the framecomprises advertisement data or non-advertisement data (e.g., a frame ofdata of a movie watched by a user). If the determination in step 1210 isYes, then the flow proceeds to step 1215, in which (after verifying thatthe advertiser has paid or has agreed to pay the content provider fornot modifying the advertiser's advertisement) the pixels comprising thepixels within a frame of video content to be displayed are not colorshifted, and whereby the process proceeds to step 1205 to await the nextframe of video content. If the determination in step 1210 is No, such asif the video content comprises one frame of a movie, the flow proceedsto step 1220, in which the current time of day is determined. In step1225, a determination is made as to whether the current time of day iswithin a predetermined time amount prior to the time when the user ispredicted to go to sleep (e.g., 30 minutes prior to the time when theuser is predicted to go to sleep). If the determination in step 1225 isYes, then in step 1230 a color shift is applied to pixels to bedisplayed in a frame of video content on the computer display ortelevision by adjusting R and B values of pixels to be displayed byincreased the R value and decreasing the B value, and then the processreturns to step 1205 to await the next frame of video content. If thedetermination in step 1225 is No, then the process proceeds to step1235. In step 1235, a determination is made as to whether the currenttime of day is within a predetermined time amount after the time whenthe user is predicted to go to wake from a sleep state (e.g., 30 minutesafter the time when the user is predicted to awake from a sleep state).If the determination in step 1235 is Yes, then in step 1240 a colorshift is applied to pixels to be displayed in a frame of video contenton the computer display or television by adjusting R and B values ofpixels to be displayed by decreasing the R value and increasing the Bvalue, and then the process returns to step 1205 to await the next frameof video content. If the determination in step 1235 is No, then no colorshifting of pixels within a received frame of video content isperformed, and the process returns back to step 1205 to await receipt ofthe next frame of video content.

In a similar manner, web site owners may have their web site contentcolor shifted according to one or more embodiments described herein, toenhance a user's sleep state who has recently viewed or is currentlyviewing a web page at night. This can be done, for example, by graduallyincreasing the red color content of the web page in an amount based on aviewing time as compared to the user's predicted sleep time. Also, website owners may have their web site content color shifted to enhance auser's wake state who has recently viewed or is currently viewing a webpage during the day. This can be done, for example, after the user hasawaken from a sleep state and is viewing the web page, by graduallyincreasing the blue color content of the web page in an amount based ona viewing time as compared to the user's predicted wake time.

Further, movie content providers may have their video content colorshifted according to one or more embodiments described herein, toenhance a user's sleep state or a user's wake state based on the timewhen the user is viewing the content, as compared to the user'spredicted sleep time and the user's predicted wake time.

A calibration process may be used determine an appropriate amount ofcolor-shifting of video content. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a methodof providing color-shifting of video content to enhance a user's sleepstate or a user's wake state that uses a calibration process. In step1305, the method starts. In step 1310, time-of-day (TOD) information islogged and gathered. The TOD information may be logged into a userprofile, and gathered from previous user data, geolocation data, and/orhome security data. TOD information may be obtained from multipledevices associated with multiple users, in which a sleep mode and a wakemode may be tailored for each of the users based on the TOD informationobtained for each user. In step 1315, the device ID is determined (e.g.,is device an HD television, a Plasma television, is device a RGBdisplay, is device a RBGW display, is device a RGBY display, is device alighting device, etc.). Based on the determination, the device ID islogged (stored) in step 1317, which may be used to collect usage datafor that device to determine optimum wake and sleep time periodsassociated with a user of that device, as well as to determine theparticular type of wake process or sleep process to perform. In step1320, the current mode for the device is determined. The current modemay be an auto-calibration mode, a user-defined sleep mode, or auser-defined wake mode. For the user-defined sleep mode and theuser-defined wake mode, associated user-defined times for the user'stypical sleep time and wake time are obtained (e.g., based on the loggedusage information for that device over the past two weeks). If thecurrent mode is the auto-calibration mode, then a run calibrationprocess is performed in step 1325, whereby a sleep process in whichpixels are color shifted to obtain sleep calibration data and a wakeprocess in which pixels are color shifted to obtain wake calibrationdata are run in step 1330. If the current mode is either a sleep mode ora wake mode, then, based on the current time as compared to auser-defined typical sleep time and a user-defined typical wake time, asleep process is performed in step 1340 or a wake process is performedin step 1345, in which pixels are color shifted to enhance a user'ssleepiness or wakefulness. The calibration mode may be used to optimizethe color shifting of pixels to be performed on video content to beprovided to a user, based on most recently obtained TOD informationassociated with the user.

A calibration process may be performed periodically, such as every twomonths, in order to optimize the process for color shifting of pixelsbased on most recent usage data of a user who will be viewing the colorshifted video content. FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing details of therun calibration process performed in step 1325 of FIG. 13. In step 1410,a determination is made as to whether a calibration button is pressed(e.g., pressed by a user instructed to invoke a calibration processevery two months), such as a calibration button provided on a set topbox associated with a television being viewed by a user, or acalibration option selected by the user via a remote control device. IfYes, then a clock is reset in step 1420, and the process returns to step1410 to start a new calibration time period. If No, then the clockcontinues to run in step 1425 for an existing calibration process inwhich TOD data is obtained and logged during the entire calibration timeperiod, as provided in step 1435. Powering off of the device (e.g.,turning off a television set and/or set top box) in step 1440, or thepredetermined calibration time period ending in step 1430, results inlogging of the calibration data obtained during the calibration timeperiod. The TOD information obtained and logged in step 1435 of FIG. 14during the calibration mode may be utilized in step 1310 of FIG. 13.

One aspect of performing color shifting of pixels is determining when auser is predicted to sleep and when the user is predicted to awake fromsleep, whereby usage data of devices associated with the user may beused to make such predictions. FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of the stepsthat may be performed to provide for color-shifted video content,according to an embodiment. In step 1510, time-of-day (TOD) data withrespect to usage of a device (e.g., device is ON from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.,and is OFF from 10 a.m. to noon, etc.) is logged and gathered. In step1520, the current mode is determined based on the current time of day ascompared to the TOD data. If the current mode is a wake mode, based onthe current time of day and the TOD data, and based on the device type(e.g., a television having an RGB display, or a television having a RGBYdisplay, or a lamp that only outputs visible light and does not outputvideo content, etc.) as determined in step 1530, a wake process is runin step 1540, and the wake process ends in step 1550 when the user turnsoff the device or the wake process time period has ended. If the currentmode is a sleep mode, based on the current time of day and the TOD data,and based on the device type as determined in step 1560, a sleep processis run in step 1570, and the sleep process ends in step 1580 when theuser turns the device OFF or the sleep process time period has ended. Ifthe current mode is a normal mode, in which color shifting of pixels isnot to be performed, such as a time during the middle of the day farfrom the user's normal wake time and the user's normal sleep time, thenno color shifting of pixels is performed, but whereby the process entersa wait state in step 1590 and returns to step 1510 to continue tocollect TOD data of the user. The TOD data may be used predict a user'snormal sleep time and/or the user's normal wake time.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram showing different types of pixel colorshifting that may be performed according to an embodiment, based on thetype of device for which video content is to be displayed to a user.Multiple devices each having its own device ID may have video contentcolor shifted to assist in a user's sleep or wake state, whereby eachdevice ID may be associated with a particular user having a preferredsleep time and a preferred wake time. In step 1610, a device type isdetermined (e.g., a LCD, LED, Plasma, or HD television having an RGBdisplay, or a LCD, LED, Plasma, or HD television having a RGBY display,or a LCD, LED 4K UHD, or Plasma television having an RGBW display, or alamp that outputs visible light and does not output video content,etc.), and based on logged information associated with the device (e.g.,historical data obtained over the previous two weeks regarding ON andOFF times of the device during the day), either an RGB pixelcolor-shifting process is performed, an RBGW pixel color-shiftingprocess is performed, an RGBY pixel color-shifting process is performed,a light intensity shifting process is performed (which may be performedtogether with the pixel color-shifting process), or no pixelcolor-shifting or light intensity shifting process is performed.

If the RGB pixel color-shifting process is to be performed as determinedfrom the device ID, then logged usage information associated with thedevice (e.g., historical data obtained over the previous two weeksregarding ON and OFF times of the device during the day) is obtained instep 1620, and a sleep process or a wake sleep process is performed instep 1665 based on the logged usage information.

If the RGBW pixel color-shifting process is to be performed asdetermined from the device ID, then logged usage information associatedwith the device (e.g., historical data obtained over the previous twoweeks regarding ON and OFF times of the device during the day) isobtained in step 1630, and a sleep process or a wake sleep process isperformed in step 1870 based on the logged usage information.

If the RGBY pixel color-shifting process is to be performed asdetermined from the device ID, then logged usage information associatedwith the device (e.g., historical data obtained over the previous twoweeks regarding ON and OFF times of the device during the day) isobtained in step 1640, and a sleep process or a wake sleep process isperformed in step 1675 based on the logged usage information.

If the light intensity shifting process is to be performed as determinedfrom the device ID (e.g., the device is a lamp), then logged informationassociated with the device (e.g., historical data obtained over theprevious two weeks regarding ON and OFF times of the lamp during theday) is obtained in step 1650, and a sleep light process or a wake lightsleep process is performed in step 1680 based on the logged information.If no pixel color-shifting or light intensity-shifting process is toperformed, then the process ends in step 1860, whereby video content andlight intensity are provided to the user unadjusted.

Provided below are equations that may be used to color shift pixels fordifferent types of displays, according to one or more embodiments. AnRGB pixel color-shifting that may be performed in some embodiments maybe applied to such displays as LCD, LED, Plasma, and HDscreens/devices/front panels, for example. An RGB pixel color-shiftingsleep process that is performed in step 1665 of FIG. 16 when it isdetermined that the current time-of-day is around a user's typical sleeptime may be performed using equations 1, 2, 3 below.

$\begin{matrix}{{R_{F} = {R_{I} + {{P_{R}\left( \frac{255 - R_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{455mu}(1)}}}{G_{F} = {G_{I} + {{P_{G}\left( {{I_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{B - R} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{B - R} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{191mu}(2)}}}{B_{F} = {B_{I} - {{P_{B}\left( \frac{B_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{515mu}(3)}}}{where}{X_{B - R} = {{\frac{B_{F} - R_{F} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {B_{F} - R_{F} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - G_{I}}{255} \right)D_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{G_{I}}{255} \right)P_{R}} = {{{P_{R_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{G}} = {{{P_{G_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{B}} = {P_{B_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}}}}}}}} & \;\end{matrix}$where

-   -   R_(F)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   R_(I)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   B_(F)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   B_(I)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   G_(F)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   G_(I)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   X_(B-R)=B vs R comparison (Which is bigger?)Result: −1 or 1    -   I_(G) _(I) =Increase G value % calculation,    -   D_(G) _(I) =Decrease G value % calculation    -   P=Linear RGB color shift intensity, based on time till sleep,    -   P_(int)=RGB color shift intensity constant,    -   T_(C) _(Sec) =The Current Time in Seconds (0 to 86400)    -   T_(S) _(sec) =The upcoming (or recently passed) Time in Seconds        of “Sleep Time”

From the equations above, R is increased, with a max of 255, while B isdecreased with a min value of 0, while G is either increased ordecreased based on if B or R is larger, such that when B is greater thanR, an increase in G is beneficial to the final color, while when R isgreater than B, a decrease in G is beneficial. By way of the above pixelcolor-shift equations, increase in G slides the pixel color toward themiddle of the wavelength spectrum, thereby providing a desirablecolor-shifted video image while at the same time increasing sleepinessin a sleep mode or wakefulness in a wake mode. In the above equations,the −0.1 value in the G calculation prevents all potential ‘divide by 0’scenarios, with a slight bias towards decreasing the G value. Also, theR,G,B pixel color values calculated by way of the above equations, andin the equations provided below for other embodiments, may be rounded tothe nearest integer value before being injected as a color-shifted pixelonto a television display or computer display (e.g., the R pixel valueof 155.3 is rounded down to 155, and the G pixel value of 73.8 isrounded up to 74).

An RGB pixel color-shifting wake process according to some embodimentsthat may be performed in step 1665 of FIG. 16 when it is determined thatthe current time-of-day is around a user's typical wake time may beperformed using equations 4, 5 and 6 below.

$\begin{matrix}{{R_{F} = {R_{I} - {{P_{R}\left( \frac{R_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{515mu}(4)}}}{G_{F} = {G_{I} + {{P_{G}\left( {{I_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{R - B} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{R - B} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{191mu}(5)}}}{B_{F} = {B_{I} + {{P_{B}\left( \frac{255 - B_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{455mu}(6)}}}{where}{X_{R - B} = {{\frac{R_{F} - B_{F} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {R_{F} - B_{F} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - G_{I}}{255} \right)D_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{G_{I}}{255} \right)P_{R}} = {{{P_{R_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{G}} = {{{P_{G_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{B}} = {P_{B_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}}}}}}}} & \;\end{matrix}$where

-   -   R_(F)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   R_(I)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   B_(F)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   B_(I)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   G_(F)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   G_(I)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   X_(R-B)=R vs B comparison (Which is bigger?)Result: −1 or 1    -   I_(G) _(I) =Increase G value % calculation    -   D_(G) _(I) =Decrease G value % calculation    -   P=Linear RGB color shift intensity, based on time till sleep    -   P_(int)=RGB color shift intensity constant    -   T_(C) _(Sec) =The Current Time in Seconds (0 to 86400)    -   T_(S) _(sec) =The normal “wake up” time in Seconds (0 to 86400)

A light intensity shifting process according to some embodiments that isperformed in step 1650 of FIG. 16 may be performed using the followingequations 7, 8 in an embodiment, and may be applied all types ofdevices. According to this embodiment, the light is shifted to extrabright when the time is close to wake time, and is shifted to dim whenthe time is close to sleep time of a user, whereby the light intensityis changed slowly to result in a smooth transitioning of the lightintensity to aid in a wake assist or sleep assist pixel color-shiftingprocess that may be performed at the same time.

$\begin{matrix}{{BN}_{F_{I}} = {{BN}_{I} + {{P_{{BN}_{W}}\left( \frac{100 - {BN}_{I}}{100} \right)}\mspace{394mu}(7)}}} \\{{BN}_{F_{D}} = {{BN}_{I} - {{P_{{BN}_{S}}\left( \frac{{BN}_{I}}{100} \right)}\mspace{470mu}(8)}}}\end{matrix}$(Brightness BN may vary from 0 to 100),where

$P_{{BN}_{W}} = {P_{{BN}_{I}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}$$P_{{BN}_{S}} = {P_{{BN}_{I}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}$

-   -   BN_(F) _(I) =Final Brightness after Increase (0 to 100)    -   BN_(F) _(D) =Final Brightness after Decrease (0 to 100)    -   P_(BN) _(Wake/Sleep) =Linear Brightness shift intensity, based        on time till/from event    -   P_(BN) _(I) =Brightness intensity constant

An RGBW pixel color-shifting that may be performed in some embodimentsmay be applied to such displays LCD, LED 4K UHD, and Plasma Screens, forexample. An RGBW pixel color-shifting sleep process that may beperformed in step 1630 of FIG. 16 when it is determined that the currenttime-of-day is around a user's typical sleep time may be performed usingthe equations 9□12 below.

$\begin{matrix}{{R_{F} = {R_{I} + {{P_{R}\left( \frac{255 - R_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{445mu}(9)}}}{G_{F} = {G_{I} + {{P_{G}\left( {{I_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{B - R} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{B - R} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{166mu}(10)}}}{B_{F} = {B_{I} - {{P_{B}\left( \frac{B_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{490mu}(11)}}}{W_{F} = {W_{I} - {{P_{W}\left( \frac{W_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{475mu}(12)}}}{where}{X_{B - R} = {{\frac{B_{F} - R_{F} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {B_{F} - R_{F} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - G_{I}}{255} \right)D_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{G_{I}}{255} \right)P_{R}} = {{{P_{R_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{G}} = {{{P_{G_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{B}} = {{{P_{B_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{W}} = {P_{W_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}}}}}}}}} & \;\end{matrix}$where

-   -   R_(F)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   R_(I)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   B_(F)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   B_(I)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   G_(F)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   G_(I)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   W_(F)=White (W) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   W_(I)=White (W) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   X_(B-R)=B vs R comparison (Which is bigger?)Result: −1 or 1    -   I_(G) _(I) =Increase G value % calculation    -   D_(G) _(I) =Decrease G value % calculation    -   P=Linear RGBW color shift intensity, based on time till sleep    -   P_(int)=RGB color shift intensity constant    -   T_(C) _(Sec) =The Current Time in Seconds (0 to 86400)    -   T_(S) _(sec) =The upcoming (or recently passed) Time in Seconds        of “Sleep Time”

For the RGBW pixel color-shifting as provided above, similar to theimpact of Brightness on sleep cycles, a decrease in the White sub-pixelintensity may improve sleepiness of the content viewer.

An RGBW pixel color-shifting wake process that may be performedaccording to some embodiments in step 1630 of FIG. 16 may be applied tosuch displays LCD, LED 4K UHD, and Plasma Screens according to anembodiment when it is determined that the current time-of-day is arounda user's typical wake time, and may be performed using the equations13-16 below.

$\begin{matrix}{{R_{F} = {R_{I} - {{P_{R}\left( \frac{R_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{484mu}(13)}}}{G_{F} = {G_{I} + {{P_{G}\left( {{I_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{R - B} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{R - B} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{160mu}(14)}}}{B_{F} = {B_{I} + {{P_{B}\left( \frac{255 - B_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{425mu}(15)}}}{W_{F} = {W_{I} + {{P_{W}\left( \frac{255 - W_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{405mu}(16)}}}{where}{X_{R - B} = {{\frac{R_{F} - B_{F} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {R_{F} - B_{F} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - G_{I}}{255} \right)D_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{G_{I}}{255} \right)P_{R}} = {{{P_{R_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{G}} = {{{P_{G_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{B}} = {{{P_{B_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{W}} = {P_{W_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}}}}}}}}} & \;\end{matrix}$where

-   -   R_(F)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   R_(I)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   B_(F)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   B_(I)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   G_(F)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   G_(I)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   W_(F)=White (W) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   W_(I)=White (W) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   X_(R-B)=B vs R comparison (Which is bigger?)Result: −1 or 1    -   I_(G) _(I) =Increase G value % calculation    -   D_(G) _(I) =Decrease G value % calculation    -   P=Linear RGBW color shift intensity, based on time till sleep    -   P_(int)=RGBW color shift intensity constant    -   T_(C) _(Sec) =The Current Time in Seconds (0 to 86400)    -   T_(S) _(sec) =The upcoming (or recently passed) Time in Seconds        of “Sleep Time”

For the RGBW pixel color-shifting as provided above, similar to theimpact of Brightness on sleep cycles, an increase in the White sub-pixelintensity may improve wakefulness of the content viewer.

An RGBY pixel color-shifting that may be performed may be applied tosuch displays LCD, LED, HD, and Plasma Screens, for example. An RGBYpixel color-shifting sleep process that may be performed according tosome embodiments in step 1640 of FIG. 16 when it is determined that thecurrent time-of-day is around a user's typical sleep time may beperformed using the equations 17-20 below.

$\begin{matrix}{{R_{F} = {R_{I} + {{P_{R}\left( \frac{255 - R_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{425mu}(17)}}}{G_{F} = {G_{I} + {{P_{G}\left( {{I_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{G} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{G} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{200mu}(18)}}}{B_{F} = {B_{I} - {{P_{B}\left( \frac{B_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{481mu}(19)}}}{Y_{F} = {Y_{I} + {{P_{Y}\left( {{I_{Y_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{Y} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{Y_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{Y} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{220mu}(20)}}}{where}{X_{G} = {{\frac{B_{F} - R_{F} - \frac{Y_{I}}{2} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {B_{F} - R_{F} - \frac{Y_{I}}{2} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - G_{I}}{255} \right)D_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{G_{I}}{255} \right)X_{Y}} = {{\frac{{3*B_{F}} + G_{I} - R_{F} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {{3*B_{F}} + G_{I} - R_{F} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{Y_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - Y_{I}}{255} \right)D_{Y_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{Y_{I}}{255} \right)P_{R}} = {{{P_{R_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{G}} = {{{P_{G_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{B}} = {{{P_{B_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{Y}} = {P_{Y_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{C_{\sec}}}{T_{S_{\sec}}} \right)}}}}}}}}}}}} & \;\end{matrix}$where

-   -   R_(F)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   R_(I)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   B_(F)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   B_(I)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   G_(F)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   G_(I)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   Y_(F)=Yellow (Y) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   Y_(I)=Yellow (Y) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   X_(G)=Weighted comparison of sub-pixels to adjust green impact        (Result: −1 or 1)    -   I_(G) _(I) =Increase G value % calculation    -   D_(G) _(I) =Decrease G value % calculation    -   X_(Y)=Weighted comparison of sub-pixels to adjust yellow impact        (Result: −1 or 1)    -   I_(Y) _(I) =Increase Y value % calculation    -   D_(Y) _(I) =Decrease Y value % calculation    -   P=Linear RGBY color shift intensity, based on time till sleep    -   P_(int)=RGBY color shift intensity constant    -   T_(C) _(Sec) =The Current Time in Seconds (0 to 86400)    -   T_(S) _(sec) =The upcoming (or recently passed) Time in Seconds        of “Sleep Time”

From the equations above, R is increased, with a max of 255, while B isdecreased with a min value of 0, while G and Y are either increased ordecreased based on ideal impact analysis with respect to displayingcolor-shifted video content to a user while at the same time assistingthe user's sleepiness.

An RGBY pixel color-shifting wake process that may be performed may beapplied to such displays LCD, LED, HD, and Plasma Screens, for example.The RGBY pixel color-shifting wake process that may be performed in step1640 in FIG. 16 may be performed according to an embodiment when it isdetermined that the current time-of-day is around a user's typical sleeptime may be performed using the equations 21-24 below

$\begin{matrix}{{R_{F} = {R_{I} - {{P_{R}\left( \frac{R_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{484mu}(21)}}}{G_{F} = {G_{I} + {{P_{G}\left( {{I_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{G} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{G_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{G} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{200mu}(22)}}}{B_{F} = {B_{I} + {{P_{B}\left( \frac{255 - B_{I}}{255} \right)}\mspace{419mu}(23)}}}{Y_{F} = {Y_{I} + {{P_{Y}\left( {{I_{Y_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{Y} + 1}{2} \right)} + {D_{Y_{I}}\left( \frac{X_{Y} - 1}{2} \right)}} \right)}\mspace{214mu}(24)}}}{where}{X_{G} = {{\frac{R_{F} + \frac{Y_{I}}{2} - B_{F} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {R_{F} + \frac{Y_{I}}{2} - B_{F} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - G_{I}}{255} \right)D_{G_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{G_{I}}{255} \right)X_{Y}} = {{\frac{R_{F} - {3*B_{F}} - G_{I} - {.1}}{\sqrt{\left( {R_{F} - {3*B_{F}} - G_{I} - {.1}} \right)^{2}}}I_{Y_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{255 - Y_{I}}{255} \right)D_{Y_{I}}} = {{\left( \frac{Y_{I}}{255} \right)P_{R}} = {{{P_{R_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{G}} = {{{P_{G_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{B}} = {{{P_{B_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}P_{Y}} = {P_{Y_{Int}}\left( \frac{T_{W_{\sec}}}{T_{C_{\sec}}} \right)}}}}}}}}}}}} & \;\end{matrix}$where

-   -   R_(F)=Red (R) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   R₁=Red (R) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   B_(F)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   B_(I)=Blue (B) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   G_(F)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   G_(I)=Green (G) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   Y_(F)=Yellow (Y) value (0 to 255) post modification    -   Y_(I)=Yellow (Y) value (0 to 255) pre-modification    -   X_(G)=Weighted comparison of sub-pixels to adjust green impact        (Result: −1 or 1)    -   I_(G) _(I) =Increase G value % calculation    -   D_(G) _(I) =Decrease G value % calculation    -   X_(Y)=Weighted comparison of sub-pixels to adjust yellow impact        (Result: −1 or 1)    -   I_(Y) _(I) =Increase Y value % calculation    -   D_(Y) _(I) =Decrease Y value % calculation    -   P=Linear RGBY color shift intensity, based on time till sleep    -   P_(int)=RGBY color shift intensity constant    -   T_(C) _(Sec) =The Current Time in Seconds (0 to 86400)    -   T_(S) _(sec) =The upcoming (or recently passed) Time in Seconds        of “Sleep Time”

From the equations above, B is increased, with a max of 255, while R isdecreased with a min value of 0, while G and Y are either increased ordecreased based on if B or R is larger, which provides for beneficialcolor shifts of R, G, B and Y to aid in a user's wakefulness whenwatching video content comprising pixels color-shifted in this manner.

FIG. 17 is a chart showing the changes in pixel color values R, G, andB, from a starting pixel R,G,B color value of 102, 102, 204, to anending pixel color R,G,B color value of 255, 0, 0, for a first examplecase where a user is watching video content around the user's normalsleep time, and whereby the pixel color values are shifted to red toenhance the user's sleepiness. The initial color value of 102, 102, 204corresponds to a purpleish-blue color, whereby the pixel color valueshifts to a lavender color, then to a gray color, then to a light redcolor, then to a red color, and then to a deep red color.

FIG. 18 is a plot showing the change in pixel color value based on thedata provided in FIG. 17, whereby the red color value of a pixel islinearly increased over time as shown by plot 1810, the blue color valueof the pixel is linearly decreased over time as shown by plot 1820, andthe green color value of the pixel is initially increased, thendecreased at a large rate, and then decreased at a slower rate as shownby plot 1830. This results in a display of a video image over time thatdoes not vary too much over time but that gradually provides for agreater red color of the video content to aid in a user's sleepinesswhile viewing the video content. As shown in FIG. 18, the red pixelvalue increases linearly from 102 to 204 over the sleep processinterval. The green pixel value increases from 100 to 144 over a firstportion of the sleep process interval, then sharply decreases linearlyto a value of 72 over a short second portion of the sleep processinterval, and then decreases linearly to a value of 0 over a thirdportion of the sleep process interval. The change in the ‘green’ pixelcolor value over the sleep process interval as shown in FIG. 20 is dueto the inventor's finding that adding more green (which pulls theoverall color of the pixel towards a center wavelength in the visiblecolor spectrum) goes from being a benefit to a detriment with respect tosleep enhancement. The point at which the green color of the pixel goesfrom steadily increasing to steadily decreasing is the point at whichthe red color of the pixel has increased to a value that is greater thanthe blue color of the pixel (that has been decreasing from the time whenthe television was turned ON up to the user's typical sleep time).

FIG. 19 is a chart showing the changes in pixel color values R, G, andB, from a starting pixel R,G,B color value of 50, 100, 150, to an endingpixel color R,G,B color value of 183, 35, 53, for a second example casewhere a user is watching video content around the user's normal sleeptime, and whereby the pixel color values are shifted to red to enhancethe user's sleepiness. The initial color value of 50, 100, 150corresponds to a greenish-blue color, whereby the pixel color valueshifts to a dark green color, then to a light green color, then to alight red color, and then to a red color, and then to a deep red color.

FIG. 20 is a plot showing the change in pixel color value based on thedata provided in FIG. 19, whereby the red color value of a pixel islinearly increased over time as shown by plot 2010, the blue color valueof the pixel is linearly decreased over time as shown by plot 2020, andthe green color value of the pixel is initially increased, thendecreased at a large rate, and then decreased at a slower rate (similarto the rate at which the blue color value is decreased) as shown by plot2030. This results in a display of a video image over time that does notvary too much over time but that gradually provides for a greater redcolor of the video content to aid in a user's sleepiness while viewingthe video content. As shown in FIG. 20, the red pixel value increaseslinearly from 50 to 183 over the sleep process interval. The green pixelvalue increases from 100 to 143 over a first portion of the sleepprocess interval, then sharply decreases linearly to a value of 71 overa short second portion of the sleep process interval, and then decreaseslinearly to a value of 35 over a third portion of the sleep processinterval. Similar to the plot as shown in FIG. 18, the change in the‘green’ pixel color value as shown in FIG. 20 is due to the inventor'sfinding that adding more green (which pulls the overall color of thepixel towards a center wavelength in the visible color spectrum) goesfrom being a benefit to a detriment with respect to sleep enhancement.Similar to the discussion above with respect to FIG. 18, the point atwhich the green color of the pixel goes from steadily increasing tosteadily decreasing is the point at which the red color of the pixel hasincreased to a value that is greater than the blue color of the pixel(that has been decreasing from the time when the television was turnedON up to the user's typical sleep time). For a wake process, thesituation is the opposite from what is described above with respect tothe change in the green pixel value over time for the sleep process.

FIG. 21 is a chart showing the time period at which the sleep pixelcolor-shift process is performed on video content, and the time periodsat which the wake process pixel color-shift is performed on videocontent, according to an embodiment. In this example, the user's typicalwake time is 7 a.m., and the user's typical sleep time is 10 p.m. Atthose two times, the intensity time factor applied to adjusting pixelcolor and light intensity is one (1). At time periods not close to theuser's typical wake time and the user's typical sleep time, such asbetween 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., videocontent is provided to the user's computer display or television withoutany pixel color shifting or light intensity being performed, since thosetimes are when the user does not need wake enhancement or sleepenhancement. Starting at 7 p.m., which is 2 hours prior to the user'stypical sleep time of 9 p.m., the intensity factor applied to pixelcolor shifting and light intensity gradually increases from the value0.866 to 1 at 10 p.m., and further increases to a value of 1.136 at 1a.m. is the user is still watching video at that time. This provides fora gradual increase in the redness of the video content up to a time whenthe user eventually goes to sleep, while at the same time maintaining afairly watchable video content that is not changing to a mostly redcolor too fast. Similarly, starting at 5 a.m., which is 2 hours prior tothe user's typical wake time of 7 a.m., the intensity factor applied topixel color shifting and light intensity gradually decreases from thevalue 1.4 to 1 at 7 a.m., and further decreases to a value of 0.636 at11 a.m., which is 2 hours past the typical time when the user turns offhis/her home computer or television in the morning. This provides for ahigh intensity of blueness in video content when the user turns on atelevision in the early morning, which gradually decreases in intensityuntil the user eventually turns off the television later in the morning,to increase wakefulness while at the same time maintaining a fairlywatchable video content that is not changing to a mostly blue color toofast.

With respect to the embodiments disclosed herein, the blue lightspectrum may be defined within a wavelength range of from 450 to 495 nm,the green light spectrum may be defined within a wavelength range offrom 495 to 570 nm, and the red light spectrum may be defined within awavelength range of from 620 to 750 nm. The visible light spectrum maybe defined within a wavelength range of from 350 nm (beginning of theviolet light spectrum) to 750 nm (end of the red light spectrum).

The various features described above are merely non-limiting examples,and can be rearranged, combined, subdivided, omitted, and/or altered inany desired manner. For example, features of the computing device(including the remote control device and the terminal device) describedherein can be subdivided among multiple processors and computingdevices. Further, the display that includes video content to be colorshifted may be a smart phone display, tablet computer display, or othertype of display device that may display video content to a user, andthat may utilize a video content color pixel display scheme other thanthe ones (e.g., a display screen other than an R,G,B display screen, anR,G,B,Y display screen, or an R,G,B,W display screen) utilized in thevarious embodiments described above. Also, the pixel adjusting may bemodified based on a user's work times, whereby a user who works thenight shift may have pixel color shifting to increase wakefulness duringnighttime hours when the user is working (e.g., between the hours of 10p.m. to 6 a.m.), and to increase sleepiness during daylight hours (e.g.,between the hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) when the user is back at home andtrying to get some rest. The true scope of this patent should only bedefined by the claims that follow.

We claim:
 1. A method comprising: receiving an indication that acomputing device outputs video content, wherein the video contentcomprises information for a plurality of pixels each having a firstcolor value and a second color value; determining a time in which thecomputing device outputs the video content; determining, based onhistorical viewing data associated with the computing device, a futuretime associated with a change associated with the computing device'soutput of video content; and sending, based on an amount of time betweenthe time and the future time, an indication to change at least one ofthe first or the second color values of one or more of the plurality ofpixels associated with the video content output by the computing device.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video content is to be sent usinga Red, Green, Blue (R, G, B) format, and wherein the first and secondcolor values respectively comprise Red and Blue color values, Red andGreen color values, or Green and Blue color values.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the method further comprises: adjusting, based on theamount of time between the time and the future time, at least one of anintensity or a brightness of the video content.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the method further comprises: sending color values of largerportions of the video content as the time approaches the future time. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determiningthe historical viewing data based on information indicating when adisplay screen changed from an ON state to an OFF state.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein sending the at least one of the first or the secondcolor values comprises: increasing, in a linear manner as the amount oftime decreases, a red color value of each of the plurality of pixels ofthe video content; and decreasing, in a linear manner as the amount oftime decreases, a blue color value of each of the plurality of pixels ofthe video content.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the video contentis to be sent using a Red, Green, Blue, Yellow (R, G, B, Y) format, andwherein the first and second color values respectively comprise Red andBlue color values, Red and Yellow color values, Red and Green colorvalues, Blue and Green color values, Blue and Yellow color values, orGreen and Yellow color values.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thevideo content is to be sent using a Red, Green, Blue, White (R, G, B, W)format, and wherein the first and second color values respectivelycomprise Red and Blue color values, Red and White color values, Red andGreen color values, Blue and Green color values, Blue and White colorvalues, or Green and White color values.
 9. A method comprising:determining, by a computing device, a current time in which an outputfor video content is active outputting video content that comprisesinformation for a plurality of pixels each having a first color valueand a second color value; determining, based on historical viewing dataassociated with the computing device, a future time in which the outputfor video content is idle; and sending, based on an amount of timebetween the current time and the future time, at least one of the firstor the second color values of at least one of the plurality of pixels ofa portion of the video content.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinduring the sending of the at least one of the first or the second colorvalues, a first color value and a second color value for at least oneother of the plurality of pixels are left unmodified.
 11. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the video content is to be sent using a Red, Green,Blue, Yellow (R, G, B, Y) format, and wherein the first and second colorvalues respectively comprise Red and Blue color values, Red and Yellowcolor values, Red and Green color values, Blue and Green color values,Blue and Yellow color values, or Green and Yellow color values.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: adjusting atleast one of an intensity or a brightness of the video content.
 13. Themethod of claim 9, wherein sending the at least one of the first or thesecond color values is performed by a controller of a set top boxassociated with a television set that is to display the video content.14. The method of claim 9, wherein the video content is to be sent usinga Red, Green, Blue, White (R, G, B, W) format, and wherein the first andsecond color values respectively comprise Red and Blue color values, Redand White color values, Red and Green color values, Blue and Green colorvalues, Blue and White color values, or Green and White color values.15. A method comprising: receiving an indication that a computing deviceis outputting video content, wherein the video content comprisesinformation for a plurality of pixels each having a color value;determining a current time in which the computing device is outputtingthe video content; determining, based on historical viewing dataassociated with the computing device, a future time in which a videocontent output of the computing device is idle; and determining, basedon an amount of time between: the determined future time, and thedetermined current time, an amount of a color shift to apply to at leastone of the plurality of pixels of the video content.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising: identifying a genre for which no colorshift is to be applied.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the videocontent is to be sent using a Red, Green, Blue, Yellow (R, G, B, Y)format, and wherein the determining the amount of the color shift toapply comprises: determining to apply a color shift in a linear mannerto a corresponding color value of one or more of the plurality of pixelsof the video content, wherein the corresponding color value comprises atleast one of Red, Green, Blue, or Yellow color values.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the video content is to be sent using a Red, Green,Blue, White (R, G, B, W) format, and wherein the determining the amountof the color shift to apply comprises: determining to apply a colorshift in a linear manner to a corresponding color value of one or moreof the plurality of pixels of the video content, wherein thecorresponding color value comprises at least one of Red, Green, Blue, orWhite color values.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the methodfurther comprises: adjusting, based on a difference in time between thedetermined future time and the determined current time, at least one ofan intensity or a brightness of the video content.
 20. The method ofclaim 15, wherein determining the amount of the color shift to apply tothe at least one of the plurality of pixels of the video content isfurther based on a genre associated with the video content.